Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga

Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga class at Stithians Lake

This summer I took the plunge…quite literally…by going along to one of Shine Yoga’s Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) Yoga classes. I love yoga and I love SUPing, so when I heard about these classes I knew it would be right up my street.

SUP yoga isn’t anything complicated, it is simply a yoga class that takes place on a SUP board rather than a yoga mat…I mean why should your yoga practice always be on land right? It is a little more challenging than normal, however I’m a firm believer that it’s good to push yourself to try new things, especially if it’s out of the ordinary.

SUP yoga has been a growing craze in the US (especially in states such as California and Florida) and it’s more recently become popular in the UK. I must admit when I first found out about SUP yoga, I saw beautiful images of people practicing in warm water wearing only bikinis or shorts, which is a little more desirable than wearing a wetsuit as is required in the UK. However there are still some beautiful spots in Cornwall for SUP yoga and I don’t think it really matters where you are and what you are wearing, it is still an incredible feeling being outdoors and so close to nature.

Shine’s SUP yoga classes take place at the beautiful Stithians Lake, which isn’t too far away from Falmouth and Truro. When I attended there was a good mix of people, some were well accustomed to yoga and others had been on a SUP before, however it was everyone’s first time for Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga. The class lasted two hours in total and the use of the SUPs was provided as part of the cost.

Here are some pictures from the day:

Getting accustomed to the SUP

Sun salutations kneeling

Sun salutations for real

Finally…headstand

As you can see we had lots of fun and I can’t wait to try it again. Looking back I’m surprised that I was a little nervous about trying SUP yoga. I wasn’t bothered about getting wet, it was more about the anticipation of falling in the water and not being able to do as well at the yoga as I would in a normal class. However, once I got accustomed to the board any doubt or fear I had went out of the window and I managed to embrace the whole experience…even when I did fall in the water.

I have to admit practicing yoga on a SUP board was much harder than I thought it would be, you really need to use your core strength and lots of concentration is required. This doesn’t mean to say it has to be serious, I laughed so much especially when we all kept falling in the water. On top of it being lots of fun, it was also a really relaxing experience and I will never forget how tranquil it was during savasana hearing the water lapping against the SUP, as well as the wind blowing in the trees and distant sounds of the birds singing.

If you haven’t heard about or considered Stand Up Paddle Board yoga before, then I highly recommend that you give it go. It is unlikely that Shine Yoga will run any more classes this year in Cornwall, so it should definitely be planned in for next year!